Religious Education

 

 

In the UK, all maintained schools are required by law to teach RE. All pupils in each year group aged 4-14 are entitled to Religious Education. RE is a statutory subject in the curriculum and we are legally obliged to teach it in each year group.

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At Elmore Green Primary School, we teach RE in line with the law, Walsall’s Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education which expects that schools will enable pupils to explore Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism, as well as Christianity. It also enables the consideration of non-religious worldviews and secular life stances.

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RE makes a major contribution to pupils’ awareness, appreciation and exploration of morality and values, including the fundamental British Values. Our teaching of Re is not coercive.  

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In RE pupils have opportunities to develop their own personal worldviews. RE is not about making pupils into believers but instead seeks to help them become literate and articulate about religions and beliefs, and to be thoughtful members of society, so that in learning from religion they are able to make informed choices about how they want to live their lives whilst also understanding more about the faiths and beliefs of other people they meet. As such, it is relevant to every pupil and every citizen of Walsall, and makes a contribution to community harmony.

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Parental right of withdrawal from RE

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This right of withdrawal was first granted in 1944 when the RE curriculum was very different and included being inducted into the Christian faith. . RE is very different now – open, broad, exploring a range of religious and non-religious worldviews, and is never coercive. However, in the UK, parents still have the right to withdraw their children from RE on the grounds that they wish to provide their own RE (School Standards and Framework Act 1998 S71 (3)). This will be the parents’ responsibility.

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If you feel that you would like to provide your own RE tuition, please request a meeting to discuss this with the headteacher.  The meeting will be an opportunity for the headteacher to  explain the aims and value of RE before any final decisions are made.

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